[The Outlaw]

Carolyn's thoughtful reply:


Hi there,

With only a few minor changes, the integration of Kira into your family will go smoothly. She has chosen you as her favorite person, so now it is important to show her that other family members are also fun and worthy of her affection.

In order to do this, your other family members should interact with Kira in a place where she cannot see her cage and other places that she considers her territory. Also, you should be out of her sight and quiet while they work with Kira. This will make all the difference in the way she treats them. Remind them that they must not show fear, even if they have been bitten. Eclectus are very intuitive and perceptive. They read our body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice much more accurately than we read theirs. Tell them to "act" if they must because it is important that they exude confidence when interacting with her. If they offer their hand, but hesitate or pull away, she will sense their fear and react accordingly.

More than likely, they will not be successful at first if they ask her to step up from inside her cage or other play stations that she claims as her territory. To avoid this problem, you should take her to a room with which she is unfamiliar and leave. Then have the family member "rescue her" from there. If she won't step up from a play stand in the unfamiliar room, you can try placing her on the floor, leaving the room, and after a minute or two, have them come rescue her from the floor, where she is sure to step up in order to get to a higher, safer place. Then they should praise her, speak lovingly to her, offer her treats, and take her on adventures such as showing her all the things in the room and letting her take a closer look at them. If she enjoys bathing, they can take her in the shower with them while sweet talking and praising her.

Short car trips will also give them the opportunity to be her "rescuer" because they will be the only safe and familiar person in that setting. Again, you should stay away while other family members are interacting with her. Give them a chance to win Kira over without the distraction of having her distracted by trying to get to you.

Until she has accepted your other family members, have them take over all the fun things that she enjoys and once she has accepted them, you can once again participate in her care . I know it will be hard to turn over her care to others when she is so attached to you, but it is necessary until she is integrated into the family. Your daily time with her for now should be short and sweet.

This is a critical time for Kira because if you don't work at having her accept everyone in the family as part of her flock, she might always be a one person bird. Let us know how this works out and best of luck to you and your family.

Carolyn